1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved method for efficient information retrieval in data processing systems and in particular to an efficient method for managing access to frequently utilized network sites such that the user can access a sequence of predetermined network locations utilizing a single user input. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a recirculating list of frequently utilized addresses which can be scrolled and selected utilizing a single user input.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of computerized information resources, such as interconnection of remote computer networks, allows users of dataprocessing systems to link with other "servers" and networks, and thus retrieve vast amounts of electronic information heretofore unavailable in an electronic medium. A server provides interconnection among communicating networks. Such electronic information is increasingly displacing more conventional means of information transmission, such as newspapers, magazines, and even television. Often, users desire quick access to specific information on a re-occurring basis. It is therefore desirable to maximize efficiency and minimize complexity when retrieving information from predetermined locations utilizing a computer.
In computer communications, a set of computer networks which are possibly dissimilar from one another are joined together by "gateways". Gateways provide data transfer and conversion of messages from the sending network to the protocols and data type utilized by the receiving network. A gateway is a device utilized to connect dissimilar networks or, networks utilizing different communication protocols, such that electronic information utilizing different standards can be processed and transmitted from network to network. Gateways convert information to a form compatible with the protocols utilized by other networks for transport and delivery.
One type of remote network commonly utilized in recent years is the Internet. The term "Internet" is an abbreviation for "Internetwork," and is commonly utilized to describe the collection of networks and gateways which are compatible with the TCP/IP suite of protocols. TCP/IP protocols are well-known in the art of computer networking. TCP/IP is an acronym for "Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol," a software protocol developed by the Department of Defense for communication between computers. The Internet can be described as a system of geographically distributed remote computer networks interconnected by computers which provide an interface that allow users to interact and share information over the networks. Because of such wide-spread information sharing, remote networks such as the Internet have thus far generally evolved into an "extensive" system which developers can provide information or services, essentially without restriction.
Electronic information transferred between data-processing networks is usually presented in "hypertext", a metaphor for presenting information in a manner in which text, images, sounds, and actions become linked together in a complex non-sequential "web" of associations. The web of associations permits a user to "browse" or "navigate" through related topics, regardless of the presented order of the topics. These links are often established by both the author of a hypertext document and by the user, depending on the intent of the hypertext document. For example, traveling among links to the word "iron" in an article displayed within a graphical user interface, in a data-processing system, might lead the user to the periodic table of the chemical elements (i.e., linked by the word "iron"), or to a reference to the utilization of iron in weapons in Europe in the Dark Ages. The term "hypertext" was coined in the 1960s to describe documents, as presented by a computer, that express the nonlinear structure of ideas, as opposed to the linear format of books, film, and speech. The term "hypermedia," on the other hand, more recently introduced, is nearly synonymous with "hypertext," but focuses on the non-textual components of hypertext, such as animation, recorded sound, and video.
A typical networked system which utilizes hypertext and hypermedia conventions follows a client/server architecture. The "client" is a member of a class or group that utilizes the services of another class or group to which it is not related. Thus, in computing, a client is a process (i.e., roughly a program or task) that requests a service provided by another program. The client process utilizes the requested service without having to "know" any working details about the other program or the service itself. In a client/server architecture, particularly a networked system, a client is usually a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by a server (i.e., another computer).
A request for information by a user is sent by a client application program to a server. A server is typically a remote computer system accessible over a remote network, such as the Internet. The server scans and searches for raw (e.g., unprocessed) information sources, for example, newswire feeds or newsgroups. Based upon the user's request, the server presents filtered electronic information as a server response to the client process. The client process may be active in a first computer system, and the server process may be active in a second computer system. The client and server communicate with one another over a communications medium, thus providing distributed functionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of the information-gathering capabilities of a single server.
Free or relatively inexpensive computer software applications, such as Internet "search engines," allow a user to locate sites where an individual can obtain information on a topic of interest. A person utilizing a graphical user interface of a computer system may enter a subject or key word which generates a list of network sites (i.e., web sites). Thus, with "home pages" published by thousands of companies, universities, government agencies, museums, and municipalities, the Internet can be an invaluable information resource.
A client and server can communicate with one another utilizing the functionality provided by Hypertext-Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The World Wide Web (WWW) or, simply, the "web," includes those servers adhering to this standard (i.e., HTTP) which are accessible to clients via a computer or data-processing system network address, such as a Universal Resource Locator (URL). A network location can be directly accessed by utilizing a Universal Resource Locator address.
Active within the client is a first process, known as a "browser," which establishes the connection between the client and the server and presents information to the user on a graphical user interface. The server itself executes corresponding server software which presents information to the client in the form of HTTP responses. The HTTP responses correspond to "web pages" constructed from a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), or other server-generated data. A client and a server may be coupled to one another via a Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or TCP/IP connections for high-capacity communication.
Generally, a client displays a browser and data received from the network via a graphical user interface. A graphical user interface is a type of display format that enables a user to choose commands, start programs, and see lists of files and other options by pointing to pictorial representations (icons or selectable buttons) and/or lists of menu items on the display. User selections are generally activated either with a keyboard or a mouse.
A graphical user interface (GUI) can be employed by a user to start processes, view file content and to select tools. Additionally, a GUI allows a user to command many selectable tools by pointing to a desired selection and depressing a push button typically utilizing a mouse. A desired selection might be a textual reference, a toolbar button, or a selection from a list of menu items on a computer display screen.
A user selectable choice can generally be activated by either a keyboard or a push button switch located on a pointing device, such as a mouse. A mouse is a commonly utilized pointing device, generally containing more than one button. A pointing device allows a user to interact with a product or operating environment, such as a graphical user interface. In many graphical user interfaces, a vertical or horizontal bar at the side, bottom or top of a graphical user interface window can be utilized in conjunction with a pointing device, such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus to quickly select features of the application program.
Additional vertical and horizontal bars may contain "selectable buttons." Selectable buttons are commonly called "icons" by those familiar with graphical user interfaces. An icon is a selectable button viewable within a graphical user interface, typically containing a pictorial representation or a mnemonic of a selectable feature.
Generally, the pictorial representation contained within an icon is a graphic symbol allowing a user to associate an icon with a particular selectable function. An icon can be selected by pointing to the icon utilizing a pointing device and activating a push-button on the mouse when the icon is pointed to. Pointing to a selection and depressing a mouse button is commonly referred to by those having skill in the art as "pointing and clicking" on the icon or on the menu item. Pointing and clicking is a user friendly way to select a particular function or software application. Generally, an icon contains a visual mnemonic which allows a user to identify a selection without having to remember commands or type in commands utilizing a keyboard as is required in a disk operating system (DOS) environment.
Horizontal or vertical bars containing textual menu category headings are commonly referred to as menu bars. Horizontal or vertical bars containing icons are commonly referred to as toolbars. Toolbars are a well known part of graphical user interfaces which simplify access to files and allow the user to perform complicated system commands by pointing and clicking on a selectable item within the graphical user interface. Toolbar selectable user commands provide efficient interface between the user and a computer system. Often, user selectable commands located on a toolbar are duplicated in the menu bar.
It is easier and more efficient to activate selections within a toolbar than to locate and select menu headings and corresponding menu items. Menu items and sub-menu items are not continuously displayed and a menu heading must be selected to view a list of menu items contained under the menu heading.
Individual users utilize a networked computer to retrieve different information due to each individual's diverse interests in information. Different users also have different informational requirements. It is often difficult to locate a desirable information resource, or web page, and locating a pertinent resource can consume a substantial amount of time. Locating an information resource is typically done by keyword searching. Keyword searching is accomplished when a user provides a keyword and instructs the client via a server to search for information resources having the keyword or information resources linked to the keyword. Typically, the user receives voluminous information from the internet when a keyword search is performed. Next, the user must sort through the received information for desirable data.
Web pages or network locations can also be accessed by a client which specifies a unique network address (i.e., Universal Resource Locator). A Universal Resource Locator has two basic components, the protocol to be utilized and the object pathname. For example, the Universal Resource Locator address, with the pefix "http://" and the body "www,uspt.gov" is the home page for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This address specifies a hypertext-transfer protocol ("http") and a pathname of the server ("www.uspto.gov"). The server name is associated with a unique numeric value (TCP/IP address).
The graphical portion of the World Wide Web itself is usually stocked with more than twenty-two million "pages" of content, with over one million new pages added every month. With a little practice, a user can skim millions of web pages or thousands of newsgroups, not only for topics of general interest, but also to access desirable and meaningful data. However, locating and scanning web pages can consume hours and hours of a users time. The market for Internet access and related applications is explosive and utilization of the Internet is growing faster than expected, doubling in size approximately every three months. Because of the growth of the "Internet" and the so-called "World Wide Web" in recent years, the amount of data which must be screened to get desirable data is overwhelming.
In order to avoid the inefficiencies of relocating a resource after it is has been initially located, a "bookmark" or "hotlist" function is typically offered as part of the graphical user interface within a web browser application. Generally, a bookmark is a universal resource locator address which is stored by the browser. When a bookmark is selected, the corresponding URL address is sent to a server by a client, then the desired location is accessed and corresponding information is retrieved efficiently with minimal user input and effort.
A typical user stores a considerable quantity of bookmark locations. However, limited space is available on the computer display to display bookmarks. Typically, a user places bookmark locations in folders, menus and sub-menus. Locating bookmarks in folders, menus and/or sub-menus complicates bookmark access. Additionally, many users have particular network locations which they desire to visit on a regular basis and management of access to the desired locations for information gathering would also be advantageous.
For example, an investor in the stock market might want to ensure he visits an investors advisory location, a location having information on how foreign markets closed and any comments made by the Federal Reserve Chairman on a daily basis. An automated system for quickly and directly accessing related information resources and controlling or ensuring a specific access routine would be highly desirable. Accessing, and tracking the access of all desired bookmark or hotlist locations is an inefficient process. Management of a daily list of URLs currently must be done manually.
Currently, bookmark or hotlist features require the user to click on the menu item entitled "bookmark" or "hotlist" to display pull down menus containing folders or URLs. To select a bookmark location, the user must traverse the pull down menu with the mouse button depressed and select a menu item in the pull down menu, such as a folder. Next, the folder must be selected and opened, and finally a URL address or bookmark must be selected. Minimal user input would be desirable to efficiently select frequently utilized locations and to provide a user friendly interface.
Currently, bookmark or hotlist utilization in browser programs requires opening files and performing multiple steps, such as selecting through a series of menu or sub-menu items to activate a bookmark. With known graphical user interfaces, each time a folder within a sub-menu is selected, which is listed under a menu heading, user precision is required to highlight the menu heading, traverse the newly displayed sub-menu items while keeping the mouse button depressed, and then releasing the mouse button or double clicking the mouse button on the desired selection. A computer operator is required to perform abrupt changes in the motion of the mouse in coordination with a mouse button to select a concealed menu item that resides within a folder. During menu item selection, a user cannot be clumsy or inattentive, because a menu item selection might be made which was not desired.
A sub-menu item is typically less than quarter of an inch in height on a typical display or monitor. Therefore, substantial dexterity is required to traverse menus and select desired menu items utilizing a pointing device, further coordinated with mouse button activation. In contrast, items within a toolbar or a single pull down menu do not require a series of activations and user inputs, such as traversing menus and/or traversing of sub-menus. Erroneous menu selections results when a user over-shoots his intended menu item selection by only a fraction of an inch.
Based on the foregoing it can be seen that a need exists for fast and efficient access to frequently utilized web sites. It would, therefore, be desirable to devise a method of minimal complexity which allows users to efficiently command a computer to access frequently utilized computer network locations. It would be further advantageous to devise a method to allow a user to manage a sequential list of networks locations such that the user can determine if he has visited all locations within the list. Additionally, it would be advantageous if the method would retain current toolbar behavior, but extend user functionality and decrease visual complexity.